A rank 3 scout, nine rank 4 scouts, fourteen official knights who could use auras, and a rank 3 mage: These were the members who would act as the core of this plan. With the particular crisis ahead of us, even these numbers couldn't guarantee anything exactly.
Still, it's almost a miracle that so many gathered in the first place.
The cream had already escaped through a portal. A shortage of top-notch personnel was inevitable. How many would voluntarily reject the survival ticket and be left behind? Realistically, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was all of them.
Not bad.
With that thought in mind, I looked to the side. A black-haired Caucasian man in his 40s dressed in a robe was standing there. It was the person he doubted the most: Kyle Pevrosk, a rank 3 battle mage associated with the palace. When I found out about his rank, I was very surprised. In this sector, it was customary for a mage's rank to be treated as if it were a higher one. Of course, this was not a courtesy to the wizard. In fact, Raven only had rank 6, but she was in charge of most of the team's work after me. It was correct to say that the criteria for counting ranks was different. But rank 3?
A rank 2 scout is actually the semi-strongest.
To be honest, he didn't know why the bastard commander left this man behind. A rank 3 mage was someone you had to take with you no matter how much he refused.
Or is it because of his status that not even the bastard commander could force him? Hmm, that could be the case.
For the palace, the death of this one man was more of a loss than the deaths of thousands of explorers. The commander probably tried to take him away somehow, but couldn't.
As I thought, it must be a grudge.
Before leaving, I asked Kyle why he was left behind and he coldly replied in a cutting voice: «I can't run away when he's here. It's the first chance I've had in a long time».
Unfortunately, Kyle didn't tell me who «him» was. It was not the right environment to investigate it and whatever its reason, it was good for me. So I set out on the journey immediately.
Time passed to the present.
He ran in front of hundreds of people.
Rattle, rattle.
The training was simple. After dividing more than a thousand explorers into three groups, I made them follow behind at certain distances. The forces were divided appropriately, but the core team I mentioned earlier was placed in the vanguard group. The rear group did not resist. They had also accepted that if the monster emerged, they would be the ones who would clear the way through all those dangers.
Thus, apart from the noise of the races, a decidedly rigid silence reigned. Normally I would have exchanged a few words with my classmates to relax my nerves, but that was impossible right now. My team members were somewhere else.
Rattle, rattle.
Behind me there were only warriors and knights, heavily armed like me. They, including me, only had one mission: When something happened, clear the way. This was, of course, the most dangerous position, so I sent my companions back. This situation was different from the previous one in many ways. Since there were more people now, the back was much safer.
As I ran like this, I heard a voice coming from the message stone hanging from my waist. «Any anomaly there?» It was Kyle, who was about seventy meters behind me. For reference, my entire team was located near him.
«No.» Even as I responded I felt uncomfortable. This type of communication was essential because so many people had no choice but to move across wide terrain, but had never used it as a team unit. Maybe I would get used to this once I formed a clan.
«Very well, I will send the message to the rear. Let me know right away if something goes wrong. It will start soon».
«I will».
I finished the broadcast and looked ahead. The thick fog from a few days ago had completely disappeared and there was no sign of any Noark explorer. Only blood stains and corpses showed the passage of time.
Will it start soon?
As more time passed, my heart beat unsteadily. It was a fact. More than thirty minutes had passed since the ninth Soil Lord appeared and the crystals on the cave walls began to emit a red light.
«Over here».
Suddenly, the road forked and I turned right. At the same time, one of the warriors following me left a mark on the wall. This was also the reason why I took the lead, to have a front line with guiding skills.
«High». I erased my thoughts and stopped everyone. The crystals that glowed a deep red were losing light and fading until they turned black. About three seconds after that, the entire cave was swallowed by darkness.
Ufff.
I lit the torch I had prepared in advance and said: «Everyone, be prepared from now on».
For some reason I remembered a quote from Einstein: We cannot know what weapons will be used in World War III, but in World War Fourth they will be stones». Of course, this quote was not enough to express my current situation. However, one thing was clear.
[The special condition Nine Horrors is met. The Lord of the Abyss, Berzak, has begun to wander on the ground].
It was time to get back to basics.
[Field effect-Abyssal Fog applied. All usage effects are disabled. Mana efficiency reduced to 1/4. Monsters exposed to the Abyssal Mist evolve into higher beings].
Click.
I inserted my torch into the slot of my helmet: Barbara Sail Mode. He hadn't used this mode in a while, but it wasn't particularly embarrassing, because the other warriors did the same.
«Haha, I don't know when was the last time I used a torch».
«The same I say».
Everyone put their torches on their helmets and vision was restored again. Then, the Black Mist around us became clearer. It was like the darkness that appeared from the second floor of the labyrinth, darkness that ate away all the light.
Visibility was about two meters.
It was shorter than expected. True, several Great Sorcerers always accompanied me in the game to catch Berzak. Because he was summoned after establishing a perfect environment, I never encountered a situation like this.
«I've heard of this, but it seems more dangerous than I thought».
Tension flourished among the skilled warriors. That's how important the sight was in battle. For example, in the United States, twenty-one feet was considered the ideal distance from confrontation with a criminal. Below that distance, it was difficult to repel a criminal with a knife. The same thing happened with guns. It was the distance needed to aim and pull the trigger at a human attempting a full-power race. But two meters...
As I stopped only momentarily to prepare, Kyle's insistence came through the message stone. «We have to move fast».
«I was fixing the torch. We will leave now».
I spoke to the warriors to notify them and walked forward, protecting my upper body.
Rattle, rattle.
I increased my walking speed little by little. The first line was composed of robust warriors and knights. And to think that we had to run at a visibility distance of two meters.
«Behell-aaaaaaaaaa!»
As if to throw away the fear, I roared and kicked my feet. When would we reach our destination walking slowly? Yes, we already knew it was dangerous, right?
«Come on!»
When I jumped into the darkness first, the warriors gathered their courage and followed my example. Well, it would be easier for them since I was lighting the way.
«Kyaaaaah!» A beast howled in the darkness and charged at me. It was too big to be on the first floor. Well, that also had to do with the fact that I wasn't using Gigantization as usual.
Hit!
I hit the beast's jaw with my shield. Immediately, the warrior to my right cut his throat with a double-edged axe.
Khak!
It stuck into the skin, but the blade got caught in the bone. That left a bitter taste in my mouth. The dwarf who had just wielded the ax was a rank 4 warrior, and not a guardian, but someone who was in a position to deal damage at close range. However, it was impossible to kill him with one shot.
«Kyaaaaah!» The beast charged towards us again despite having a deep cut on its neck. I hit his head with my mace.
Hit!
I probably wouldn't die with this either, since I hadn't used my only attack ability, Swing. Well, I couldn't use it, to be precise.
[All usage effects are disabled.]
Active abilities were sealed in Mist of the Abyss. The Corpse Golem's Acid Fluid was still there, but it couldn't use Meat Explosion. That's why I couldn't use Gigantization now either.
I feel like old times.
A strange feeling of loss invaded my entire body. It reminded me of the early days, when I had nothing. That was probably why the other warriors were also so afraid of what lay beyond the darkness, because one of their best weapons had disappeared.
«What are you all doing!? Follow me!»
However, the default statistics left by the essences remained the same. We could use liabilities and we also had equipment that we had customized with hard-earned money. We couldn't use the effects or equipment scrolls, but permanent options such as Shock Reduction to 50% of the Guard Corps Token still applied.
«Leave those who are still alive behind!»
We ignored the monster and plunged back into darkness, judging that by catching each of them we would not arrive in time.
«Kyaaaaah!»
Wow! Wow!
At intervals of a few steps, beasts appeared in groups. They were about half the size of lions, but resembled the Guardian Wolves that commonly appeared in the eastern district of the first floor. However, the difference in strength was like heaven and earth.
[You have defeated the Abyssal Sword Wolf. EXP +5]
We had to clear the way by defeating rank 5 monsters with the same degree of difficulty as trolls without any active abilities. That's why I mainly recruited warriors. Sorcerers, summoners, necromancers, and other highly skill-dependent characters were inevitably useless in this event. On the other hand, most warriors used to have high stats by default.
«Agh, my arm...!»
«Priest, treat them quickly!»
Even so, the clearer the path was cleared, the lower they appeared. Just like my combat power plummeted after losing Gigantization, the other scouts were not used to their current states. The Abyssal Bladed Wolves also played an important role.
[The Wolf of the Abyssal Blade has released Inner Madness].
Inner Madness was an active ability of leaf wolves that evolved with the Mist of the Abyss. The effect was simple. All stats related to the caster's defense disappeared, and bonuses were added to stats related to attacks such as slashing power, destructive power, and penetrating power.
«Kyaaaah!»
Shaking my thoughts, I quickly covered my face with the shield.
Kak-kak-kak!
There was a grinding sound from the other side of the shield blocking the claws. However, I was more worried about my body than the repair costs.
Is this the strength of grade 4 moonstone? This will be hard to bear even for me without a gun.
It was natural that casualties continued to appear. These claws were capable of breaking grade 2 metal like paper.
Ugh, if an essence comes out, I'll eat it right away.
Normally this event opened in the final phase of the game, so its essence was not so attractive to me, but for me things were different now. First of all, not only were the default stats high for rank 5, but the skills were also quite good. One of these abilities could temporarily convert me from an extreme tank to an extreme damage dealer. However, it was an unusable skill in this situation.
Still, its default stats are high, at least.
Any increase in statistics would be of great help. An essence could be erased in the temple later. A million stones didn't even seem that expensive to me now.
«Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!»
Waiting for morale to rise, I screamed. It wasn't just me who did it. Everyone invoked what they believed in to get rid of their fears.
«By Rafdonia!» Loyal knights shouted tirelessly at the palace that abandoned them.
«Ailee!» Some shouted the names of their wives.
«May the light of the stars be my guide!» Some asked their gods for help.
After a long time had passed like this, Kyle's voice was transmitted through the message stone. «It's time to change shifts». The warriors and knights who were retaining their resistance in the rear changed with the front.
«...Will you be okay?» The dwarf warrior fighting most diligently beside me asked worriedly.
Of course, if I was honest, I wanted to rest too. «Someone has to lead the way at the front».
«You can call another browser for that».
«Another explorer...» I chuckled. Most of the scouts lacked combat skills. Calling someone like that here, where even warriors and knights could end up with torn flesh and spilled intestines? «Don't worry. I'm fine».
«...I'll be back soon.»
Geez, so much loyalty for such a short battle. «I'll be waiting.»
As the dwarf warrior retreated as well, new faces filled my back and sides. They were not unknown to me, since we had already introduced ourselves before leaving.
«Albertine, Davers, Karkin, welcome. I leave you my side».
«Haha, you already look like a disaster».
«Why don't you rest behind? We will clear the way from now on». The warriors were considerate with my equipment in tatters and my blood still dripping.
«I can still stand it. I'll let you know then».
«Fool».
«It is because of that quality that so many people have gathered».
«Damn, those guys don't even give us time to say hello.»
Before we could finish our brief talk, we had to hastily resume our movement due to the beast that appeared in front of us.
«They are different from the normal Blade Wolf, so be careful».
«We know».
«Quite a few have appeared on the secondary roads».
«Not as much as here, but it was fierce there too. Many have already died».
«Dead...?»
«There are no priests there.»
I see.
All the priests were placed on the front line, but I didn't think that would make it safer here. Still, there were casualties in this battle.
His divine power will eventually be exhausted.
To preserve divine power, I ordered the wounded to be sent to the rear to be fed potions, but even that was a matter of time. After that, this place would become an even worse hell.
Missha...
I shook my head. I was worried about my colleagues in the back, but if something had happened, they would have contacted me through the message stone.
I should focus on what I have to do.
I erased my thoughts and placed the weight of the shield on my shoulder. If necessary, I brandished my mace. Sometimes he screamed, and sometimes he even lost his balance and fell to the ground before rapidly rolling up.
Hit! Hit! Slash! Kwaaang!
The beasts spat black blood from blunt weapons, swords, or even knights' auras. His bodily fluids continued to cover my body. Time passed like this again.
Huff, huff.
The warriors who had invested all their stats in the physique were breathing heavily and moaning. That was our battle. Even I, who prided myself on having experienced all kinds of chaos, had a hard time staying sane. Was that why? When I came to, there was another warrior in the position on my left. Since when?
«Davers, when did Albertine come back?» The man did not respond. «Is dead?»
«Yeah.»
...I see. We promised to have a drink later.
«Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!»
As if pouring fuel, I burned even my fleeting emotions and moved on. I also ordered priests to cast healings on others besides me. Since he had resistance to pain, he only needed a potion.
I smiled.
No, to be honest, I didn't even know anymore. Had my judgment become cloudy from fighting so much? Or was it because there were only warriors at my side that the barbaric instinct embedded in this body was awakening? Why did we know each other by name? I did not know. Maybe it was because he had seen too many deaths.
For some, I was a disposable hand. And for me too, others were disposable hands. Until a few days ago, that was an obvious fact. It didn't bother me nor did I think it was unreasonable. That was the world, and I chose to settle.
Boom!
What was that feeling? I wasn't that person. However...
Boom!
A heated heart and head, the heat of blood flowing, stickiness.
Boom!
Yeah, maybe it was natural that I wasn't sane right now.
«Ahhhhhh!»
I stopped looking for a reason. I didn't know why, but every time someone behind me went out, I felt something stir in my heart. It was a desire I had never felt before.
Boom!
Myself, my teammates, and the countless people behind me, I wanted to bring them back alive...
[Your HP is below 20%. All stamina and resilience stats have been maximized due to the Path of Heroes passive ability].
...Even if I had to burn everything I had.